Home & Real Estate I am troubled by past experience with the district and the retaliation we ourselves experienced that was its own serious trauma that we deal with today. Weston Healy was taken into custody shortly before 3 p.m., following a campus lockdown that. A woman in her 40s is also in a critical condition in hospital following the crash at The Study Preparatory School on Thursday. In many parts of town, you can hear the warning of a passing train just about everywhere: the quad at Palo Alto High School; the tables at Piazza's grocery store, where kids from Gunn High. One of Palo Alto's darkest chapters is explored on the big screen in a remarkably personal documentary on suicides among students at the highly rated public schools in one of Silicon Valley's. "You pass around drugs and that encourages other kids to do it.". He described the crash as "extremely distressing and extremely concerning". Marion Davis, instead of sending these bullies to juvenile hall, where they will learn new violent skills, how about mandatory FAMILY THERAPY? Two Bay Area schools cracked the top 10 in a list of the . As I said above, bullying is never acceptable, but I do ask whether our young people are OK after being out of school with what societal norms school life brings evaporated away because of the pandemic? If they went into that bathroom anyway, was it their own fault if they got hospitalized? (Speaking of not living by example) If you want a district with that kind of accountability, you as a community member will have to find a way to advocate for change in the structure of the school district so that it's less insular. None of the children injured on Thursday are in a critical condition, the chair of governors told the BBC. I agree that there should be no zero tolerance for bullying. TheSixFifty.com The act of using an ethnic slur and causing bodily injuries is way more than simple bullying -- it's a hate crime. -- Creates a hostile environment at school. Spotlight Bullying is not acceptable. Parents, she said, were scared. Contact Us Your support is vital to us continuing to bring you education news. Thank you. My children said that the best aspect of this district is the lack of bullying. A group of students is urging the Palo Alto Unified School District to change the way it responds to suicides so that there is more transparency with the community after a death occurs. Read about our approach to external linking. Karrie Z. Huang, Palo Alto Senior High School. It would have to be voted on, the State of CA only allows amendments to City Charters by vote. "Our thoughts are with the bereaved family and with the families of those injured at this terrible time.". The rash of suicides started May 5, when a 17-year-old male committed suicide at 8:20 a.m. during the morning commute. Academics Gunn offers 22 Advanced Placement (AP) classes and 8 Honors classes which are included in the weighted Grade Point Average (GPA). I could ask about Paly 2002 but I doubt it would be much use. CNN . Some of the attacks described here cross the line to criminal assault. Watch: The BBC's Mark Lobel is at the scene the day after the fatal crash. Sports A Mountain View native, she has previous experience as an education reporter in both California and Oregon. He was followed June 2 by a 17-year-old girl and again Aug. 21 by a 13-year-old girl who was to have been a freshman at Gunn this fall. News. "I understand many people will want answers about how this happened and there is a team of detectives working to establish the circumstances," she said. Read about our approach to external linking. Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A group of six Gunn High School boys have faced violent bullying and harassment, including racial slurs, that administrators didn't adequately respond to, according to claims recently filed by the students and their parents. Those perpetrators need to pay legal consequences for their actions let alone disrupting another students education/academic life. The only way to deter and neutralize these punks is to separate them from the pack. Campus Life Athletics Athletics For more detailed Gunn team and event information go to https://gunnathletics.com/ Athletic calendar (day/week/month view) Athletic calendar (list view) Athletic clearance & registration procedures Athletic handbook Athletic swag Athlete participation donation (please pay when registering) Athlete team practice dates 93% scored 3 or higher and 54% scored a grade of 5. At Paly, Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson does as little as humanly possible and students know they won't get in trouble. - " Very sad circumstances but hearsay is hard to work with." Shortly afterwards, a group of students attacked one of the boys in the locker room and "pummeled" him with fists and kicks, while recording the attack and later posting it on social media, the claim states, going on to say that he suffered a head injury and experienced headaches and back pain. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk, Girl, 8, dies after car crashes into primary school, Aerial view of Wimbledon school car crash, Our thoughts are with girl's family - police, Emergency services respond to primary school crash, Cases heard at Bromley and Bexley courts including McDonald's knifeman, All the escaped snakes that have been found in south London this year, 'We're still here' say businesses in 1960s Croydon shops covered in scaffolding, Chancellor to outline evolutionary pension funds investment reforms, Pedestrian hospitalised after being hit by a car on Connaught Bridge, The south London park with the lowest pollen count perfect for hay fever sufferers, US allies troubled by cluster bombs to Ukraine, BBC star faces new allegations over explicit photos, Twitter blue tick accounts fuel Ukraine misinformation, How warming oceans are driving the climate juggernaut, The fate of a protest that toppled a president, Ghana's batmen hunting for pandemic clues, How TikTok fuels human smuggling at the US border, Delhi's earliest crimes revealed by 1800s police records, The surprising benefits of breaking up. I can only hope the perpetrator went through worse. This is completely opposite of what lawyers have told their clients forever, but of course lawyers make out like bandits. This is outrageous that school administrators let it get as far as hospitalization! Spotify. Gunn Titans - Official Athletic Website - Palo Alto, CA I believe by law, you were required to. California man arrested in connection with serial killings of Mexican As a result of the attack, one of the boys went to the hospital because his ear was bleeding, while two more went to the nurse because they had been struck in the neck, the claim states. England. Zoe Morgan covers education, youth and families for the Mountain View Voice and Palo Alto Weekly / PaloAltoOnline.com, with a focus on using data to tell compelling stories. -- Based on a student's race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion Children don't always deal with change well. Lawsuits and settlements get paid by the district's insurance. In all four cases, the teenagers jumped into the path of an oncoming commuter train operated by Caltrain. How the @#[emailprotected]#$ are you supposed to "stay away" from somebody who ambushes you in the bathroom? I wonder if the bullies themselves are minorities or special needs? Instead, some came in with constant fear, not knowing what could happen next. California Penal code 11160 a(2) mandatory reporting by a medical practitioner upon treating A person suffering from any wound or other physical injury inflicted upon the person where the injury is the result of assaultive or abusive conduct.. We do not want another Columbine incident where a bullied student went on a shooting rampage to rid himself of his perpetual tormentors. Did you report the group attack to the police? Recording attacks and posting it to internet is way beyond simple bullying. I wonder who is giving Administration counsel because it's awful advice / training. Their lives have been impacted so much. MP for Wimbledon Stephen Hammond said the pupils had been gathered for an end-of-year celebration party in the garden. According to Rosenberg, the school district has 45 days to accept or reject the students' claims from the date they were received. Who's going to do it? 2023 BBC. Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic. It was unclear whether any of the teens were connected. With historical perspective, we could drive for the systemic change. The easiest way to check if schools are open is to look on the local authority's website. July 7, 2023, 11:26 PM PDT. I agree with everything you wrote, Rebecca. Help sustain the local news you depend on. 2020 - 2023. Half state's candidates for U.S. Presidential Scholars from Bay Area so are other schools. Immediately. Hide behind the lawyers, blame the victims. Kaslow said warning signs can include depression, giving away possessions, deterioration in both academics and social activities, general disinterest and substance abuse. The superintendent might not have been aware of details of what happens at Gunn. "I wanted to pay my respects and for [my son] to see that's an important thing to do.". A school that fails to respond appropriately to harassment of students based on a protected class may be violating one or more civil rights laws enforced by the ED and the DO" I wonder if the adults involved are thinking about holistic solutions rather than appeasement measures? Teen Train Suicide Cluster Shakes Affluent California Town - ABC News TownSquare Four Palo Alto, Calif., teens have jumped in front of a train in six months. Phoro by Magali Gauthier. The claims are very serious. The Weekly is not naming the students or parents involved to protect their privacy. The aggressive kids in middle school were training for high school bully behavior. Gunn Principal Wendy Stratton said in a text that the school's administration "is committed and works diligently to ensure the safety of our students on a daily basis," but declined to comment further, citing student privacy protections and an active investigation. I'm curious how Student Services handled these bullying cases at PAUSD? Gunn Titans - Official Athletic Website - Palo Alto, CA view_module chevron_left 4 chevron_right Upcoming Events No Events This Week Events are added by athletic staff. Follow Palo Alto Online and the Palo Alto Weekly on Twitter @paloaltoweekly, Facebook and on Instagram @paloaltoonline for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more. [5] [6] He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Louis University. Kaslow said she was, coincidentally, in Palo Alto two weeks ago for an unrelated talk on depressed teenagers when -- not knowing about the prior suicides -- she mentioned leaping in front a train. Gunn High School -2017 - 2020. For example, our kids returned to campus on Unity Day, "a national event to promote kindness, acceptance and inclusion in our schools and communities during Bullying Prevention Month". Police are continuing to question a woman over a car crash at a school which killed an eight-year-old girl, as floral tributes are laid at the scene. I know plenty of folks with anxiety disorders who would ask for extra time to finish an assignment but that wouldn't mean they would go on to bully someone. So far we have not heard anything from the officials. Twelve people were taken to hospital after a Land Rover crashed into The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon. Circulation & Delivery, About Us Bystander, I beg to differ with your explanation for totally unacceptable behavior! "The families went on to say that they want to see administrators respond quickly and effectively, so students feel safe. Just like anything else in life, your approach matters. Our board is good at sweeping things under rugs, NOT solving problems and certainly NOT standing up for students the district has wronged. If any of the bullies are Special Ed students or have IEP's or 504 plans, it's basically a get out of jail free card. The school's website was replaced by a holding page with a statement reading: "We are profoundly shocked by the tragic accident this morning at Wilberforce House and devastated that it has claimed the life of one of our young pupils as well as injuring several others. Henry M. Gunn High School | News | Palo Alto Online | News Henry M. Gunn High School Gunn graduates 514 as the Class of 2016 Uploaded: Thu, Jun 2, 2016, 2:32 pm 0 Time to read: about 8. Time to read: about 4 minutes. This is in no way to equalize the Paly situation with what is going on at Gunn - that is immeasurably worse and wholly unacceptable. Dan Ryan told the San Jose Mercury News that he knows of six to eight more that had been prevented. @Paly Teacher - can you explain how cheating on a test or asking for extra time to finish an assignment is the same as bullying (possibly with a racial motive?). Education University of Southampton Bachelor of Science - BS Mathematics and Computer Science. Thank you for telling us about this case, it would be interesting to know how this case will develop further. Students: A violent ambush in bathroomThe bullying of the current six students began on the first day of the school year, when a student asked one of the boys for a piece of fruit he had and then threw it at the back of another kid's head, according to the claim. St George's Hospital in Tooting said it had received "a number of patients who are being cared for by our specialist clinical teams". I urge Mayor Tom DuBois, Palo Alto city council and the school board to get together and research successful school policies in the US. Suicide by train is not very common among teenagers, she said. Some teens, she said, will even go as far as to send out a text message or an e-mail to a friend to say goodbye. They "screamed for help in the bathroom, but no help came," according to the claim. Cyber bullying has been reported as increasing during the pandemic. Become a Member Promotions These absences were necessary A group of six Gunn High School boys have faced violent bullying and harassment, including racial slurs, that administrators didn't adequately respond to, according to claims recently filed by the students and their parents. Web Link However, "the incessant bullying and harassment continued," the claim states, with students threatening and insulting the boys for reporting them to school staff.The situation allegedly turned violent on Oct. 5, when two students ambushed some of the boys in a bathroom. Pity. The 17-year-old was taken in for a mental health. Unfortunately the PAUSD did not intervene and address this matter as it is the responsibility of school administrators to ensure a safe learning environment for their students. Administrators have not excused those absences, even though they were due to "legitimate safety concerns," the parents said through their attorney.The parents say they want the district to transfer their children to a different and safe school and to "start taking bullying and the associated violence seriously and not allow or tolerate retribution when students report harassment.